While a great many patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) receive care through Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers and other specialized care teams, many are cared for in settings that do not have an intensive focus on SCD. Currently, there is no program of education offered regularly that provides health care professionals in various disciplines with the basic information needed for the care of such patients. In addition, new professionals working in Sickle Cell Centers have no systematic, standardized method of developing the knowledge and skills needed for advanced clinical practice in SCD. We plan to develop and implement an education program on SCD that will serve the needs of physicians, nurses, social workers, genetic counsellors, and other professionals throughout the United States. This program will be offered on two levels: basic instruction and advanced clinical practice. The long-term goal of this project is to promote optimal care and outcome for patients with SCD through improved knowledge and competence among their caretakers. Each component will be carefully evaluated. Specific Aims are as follows: (1) Identification of appropriate health care professionals and assessment of their needs. Health care professionals of various disciplines will be surveyed to determine their perceived educational needs, interest in continuing education on SCD, preferences for topics related to SCD, and preferred educational formats. (2) Presentation and evaluation of multidisciplinary courses on SCD. Based on needs assessment, curricula will be developed that is discipline-specific. Separate curricula will be prepared according to the prior knowledge and experience of the learner in each discipline. Regional courses will then be presented at sites selected according to degree of need and interest as determined by response to needs assessment questionnaires and demographics. Certification will be awarded to those who successfully complete the course. (3) Providing health professionals with the knowledge, skills, and materials to teach patients, families, and other health care providers about SCD. We have already developed and evaluated teaching tools that can be adapted by a variety of programs. However, instruction in their use is necessary for optimal results. In order to qualify for this component of the curriculum, the learner must have already achieved a designated level of knowledge and experience. The goal of this program is to "train the trainers," so that they will have the skills and materials necessary for establishing educational programs within their own settings. (4) Development of professional SCD networks. The Sickle Cell Nursing Network will be expanded and additional networks based on this model will be developed for physicians, psychosocial, professionals, and others.